Proof of Concept - Updated

The Go! Team - Proof of Youth

Two months after its release I finally picked up the Go! Team's latest album. Quick summation, it's exhausting in its enthusiasm and has secured a place in my current cd rotation. Far more 80s hip-hop influenced than their last effort (Chuck D himself guests on one track), the band does expand its arsenal of genres to pilfer. 60s Go-Go music alongside Blondie-esque 80s jams work together brilliantly. Yet, the segue into 70s AM radio on the third track "My World" almost throws the whole album off beat. Otherwise, the rest of the album blast from one bombastic banger to the next with little down time (hence the exhaustion).
On the production side a better quality ends up cutting both ways. Taylor and Tsuchida's vocals are more pronounced while the cheerleader chants are a rarer commodity. Cleaner production allows the band's performance to shine yet restrains the raw emotion of Thunder, Lightning, Strike. Thus the album is distinctly different from the Go! Team's previous album without sacrificing their artistic integrity.
Proof of Youth is an excellent follow-up to Thunder, Lightning, Strike but for those of you who fell in love with the cheerleader chants the album will come as a bit of a disappointment. Still, the hooks are great, the lyrics hopping and the drums continuing their efforts to crack the firmament and extinguish the stars.

The Go! Team - Grip Like a Vice
The Go! Team - Flashlight Fight